The Montpelier Arts Center is pleased to present three artists in celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month. Shinji Turner-Yamamoto, Del Kun “Dave” Chen, and Gen Aihara all have introspective approaches to making art. Each artist brings a fluid, intuitive aesthetic to their work, which is reflected by their individual approaches to materials and inner thought.

Join the artists for a reception on May 3, 2-4 pm.

For Shinji Turner-Yamamoto, the fluidity in his work derives from his search for universal manifestations of connections between mankind and nature. By exploring naturally occurring pigmentation of indigenous materials such as rainwater, soot, vegetation, or animal material found during his travels, he creates works that are visual records of the landscapes and cultures he visits.

The fluidity within the work of Del Kun Chen comes from his use of technology and photograms. In his on-going series, Cubogramy, he develops multiple points of view of objects using a pinhole camera. Through this approach, he looks for universal ways in which human beings process and filter stimuli. The resulting images revolve and shift as if they have been immersed in water.

In Gen Aihara’s work, the fluidity is more literal. Working strictly as a photographer, Aihara photographs water existing within his environment. His approach to composition and color result in powerful real life abstractions. These fluid abstractions symbolize his search for metaphysical relationships and the nature of being.

Born in Osaka, Japan, Shinji Turner-Yamamoto was originally trained in fresco painting at the Kyoto City University for the Arts. He continued his artistic education at the Accademia di Bella Arti in Bologna, Italy. His work is contained in the collections of the DC Commission of the Arts, Sanskritti Foundation in New Delhi, India, and the Pro Artibus Foundation in Finland among others. He is currently represented by the mu project gallery in Washington, DC and resides in Alexandria, VA.

Gen Aihara was born in Hyogo, Japan. In 1995, he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design and Photography from Kyoto University. Shortly thereafter, he came to the U.S. and studied at SUNY-Purchase, graduating with a Masters of Fine Arts in 1999 His work has been exhibited world-wide including Sotheby’s International Young Artist in 2001 and the ISE Cultural Foundation in New York. His work is included in the collection of the Museum of Fine Art in Houston, TX among others. He is also represented by the mu project gallery in Washington, DC and currently lives in New York.

Emerging artist Del Kun Chen is a Chinese American born in Maryland. He began his career as an electrical engineer studying in Taiwan before returning to the US and obtaining a degree in photography from UMBC in 2004. He has since moved to New York and works as a printing technician for Print International/ 291 Digital.